JAKARTA — A highly active volcano in eastern Indonesia erupted several times on Friday, spewing towering ash columns into the sky and forcing a local airport to close, authorities said.
Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki on Flores Island erupted at 11:15 a.m. (local time), sending volcanic material 2.5 kilometers (1.6 miles) into the air, the country’s volcanology agency said in a statement. It came after several other eruptions earlier in the day.
Lewotobi Laki-Laki falls under Indonesia’s second-highest alert level for volcanic activity, with a 5-kilometer exclusion zone in force around its crater.